Are you interested in joining the Wootizen Merry Crapmas BOC Exchange?!

Dec 5, 2012 7:26 PM

HERE IT IS!

After months of waiting, I feel the time is appropriate to begin setting up the next Wootizen BOC Exchange. I am beginning this now because I want to make sure there is ample time to work through all the logistics and make sure we don't leave people behind. The likely beginning date, when people will get the go-ahead to begin sending out packages, will likely be on Dec 28th.

My goal is to have all of the names and addresses of individuals by Fri. Dec 21st so I don't have to worry about setting this up during family time. This will also allow individuals a week to come up with their gift and incorporate "re-gifting" if they so desire.

Step 1: Email wootizenboc@gmail.com with just your Full Name and your woot ID by DEC 14th.
Step 2: You will receive an informational email on DEC 15th. If you are still interested in joining the exchange after reading the terms and conditions. You will email me again with the specifics outlined in the email.

Yay! Totally in :) I had hopes of organizing the next one, but life got in the way so thanks for stepping up. Maybe I'll be in a better place logistically in a couple months so I can take on the challenge then.

You said white elephant and I immediately thought of the common steal "someone else's or pick a new one" and wondered how that would work. I'm glad it is just a regular BOC exchange like before.
I'm moving so I have been through all my stuff recently and found plenty to put in for a some (un)lucky recipient. Count me in.

I've missed the last couple, but did participate in the original one from the Deals side (I think it was the first...) I still play with a couple toys from that one - including my mini thinking-slinky.

sent over the email, but reiterating here. i'm in. I have so much random crap to give away it isn't funny :D. Can even send two well equipped boxes, if anyone drops out last minute.

Suggestion - might be too much to handle/organize, but can we take a basic list of likes/dislikes/family situation? For instance, if i knew the person i had for this, had children, i could totally pimp out that box with fun kid's stuff... vs if i knew my target recipient was a gamer, and so on and so forth. General guidelines, and completely optional type of thing.

@goatcrapp: I agree that it would be helpful to have a little info about our recipients. Last time around I drew @baybei and snooped around her past comments and questions to find out more about her. I felt like a DW stalker, which was really rather fun. All I really found out about her was that she has cats, which would be obvious to anyone who reads her posts, especially since she has posted some pictures of them. If I had drawn someone who was less involved in the DW community, I might not have know even that much!

What does everyone think? Should we ask participants to provide just a few basic facts such as whether they have kids (Small, grade school, older, make, female.), pets (cats, dogs, flying monkeys), hobbies (sports, tech, crafts, gardening), or that kind of thing.

I dunno, I'm conflicted. Firstly, having this information would allow us to create personalized BOCs that would appeal to our wootizen.
But on the other hand, doesn't that take away from the BOC experience? Just getting a random box filled with stuff. We'll see what others think, perhaps if people WANT to give a paragraph they can, but if they opt to not provide anything, they will just have to be content with what they get??

@studerc: LOL! Sorry to conflict you. AND sorry for trying to complicate things. Carp is carp and if no one wants to provide or use this kind of info, any unneeded carp can just be passed along the next time around. (Is "re-carping" a word? If not, I call dibs!)

Speaking of re-carping, I think I have a fruitcake around here someplace I can toss into a BOC.....

I'll probably join in this time as well. I've already got a bit of crap laying around.

Question: Would it be appropriate to include stuff that we received in past wootizen BOCs if those items may be more of use to someone else? I got a couple things that I either already owned some version of, or had no use for at all. I'd like to just pass them down to someone else until we find someone who can use them.

And as far as giving info on ourselves, I rather like the randomness of sending random crap to a total stranger. If I pick the things I send based on what the recipient lists as things they like, it's not exactly a BOC.

One thing I would suggest is to give a reasonably long window (a week plus the weekend) for sending the boxes. My thinking is that there are probably going to be people away from home for the holidays and possibly not able to send their boxes until the the first weekend in January. I know that I'm gone for over a week, won't be returning home until 31 Dec at the earliest. Then with the getting caught up from being gone and getting back to work and all of that it will probably be 4 January before I could send my box.

Just to let everyone know, we are currently at 38 participants for the Merry Crapmas BOC Exchange! I believe last time we had well over 50 so we still have a ways to go. Make sure to tell your friends!

@caffeine_dude: Truthfully, I believe that I (and the community) have enough pull to "heavily encourage" people to post their stuff, but by no means would it have to be mandatory, some people just forget and its not like we can penalize them or anything...

I actually like the idea of being able to send one or more packages and one or more people per household can participate. It may create a logistical nightmare for me when creating it, but I'll see what I can do. Perhaps it will be that if you want to send multiple packages you will have to receive multiple packages, and vice versa. That way everyone is accountable for sending one package to receive one package.

I think I'm going to make "personalization" optional. If people want to provide a paragraph to their sender about their interests, why not right? But it would in no way be a requirement for people to follow such guidelines.

Personalization.....I am leaning toward no. Fun idea but takes away some randomness. Not against and I would lean toward things that might fit the profile if I did know a bit about the person.

At least a week and both weekends to mail....YES! It is a busy time for all. I will be at the post office every day but remembering to bring the darn thing with me, well.... (I work at the post office.)

Multiples to one address....Sure, send one get one, send two get two. I sent and received two last time because we had an odd number. It worked out good.

Re-crapping....Of course! That is part of the fun in the box. I think all that I mailed last time was re-crapped from one source or another.

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